Three-and-out

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Three and out is an American Football term used to describe a game situation where the team with the ball is unable to get a first down on their possession and is forced to punt after they run 3 plays. This term comes from the fact that the offensive unit only has 3 "real" plays before they are expected to punt. This sometimes does not apply if they decided to go for it on a short 4th down situation, such as 4th and 1 or 4th and inches, and fail to convert.